DAREY SAYS P-SQUARE INSPIRED HIS SONG ‘PRAY FOR ME’: ‘THEIR PARENTS DIDN’T BELIEVE THEY WOULD AMOUNT TO ANYTHING

In a new interview with Vanguard, singer Darey Art Alade reveals the inspiration behind his hit single ‘Pray for Me’, his career, marriage and why celebrity marriages fail.

On how he came about the song whose video was recently released, the singer said it was Peter and Paul Okoye’s determination to leave their parent’s home and start a musical career that inspired the song.

See the excerpts from the revealing interview:

On what inspired his smash hit single ‘Pray for Me’

The inspiration for Pray For Me actually came from some personal experiences that P-Square had. While we were recording in the studio, producer, Oscar Heman–Ackah, told me the story of how P-Square wanted to leave home (Jos at the time), they had started dancing and doing covers but they wanted to leave home. They already saw their names in shining light, but their parents would have none of it . Their parents didn’t believe they would amount to anything, you know a parent’s worst fear – they look at entertainers as ne’er-do-wells. They had that struggle. They had to even break the sim cards of their phones, and they said to their dad, “Dad, we are leaving, this is where our heart is, and we can’t keep fooling ourselves.” That was the long and short of the story. I found their story very inspiring. Although the song is not as detailed as their story, it was their story that inspired the song and brought it to life.

On why he chose Ciara for Love Like A Movie 3

She did fit the theme perfectly. It was a futuristic dance party. Ciara is a great dancer and performer. She was also available. All those elements helped with making Love Like A Movie 3 what it was.

On his next big project

I am already working on another album. Livespot has evolved into a company; we are doing production, digital media, entertainment, so it is one-stop shop that is expanding. I am doing more work for brands now, almost playing an ambassadorial role without being an ambassador. Also focusing on marriage, celebrating 10 years of marriage and the list goes on

On why celebrity marriages break up easily

I have no idea why people are not able to get along or solve their problems privately. Marriage is a personal thing, you don’t get married for the world. You get married for the sake of each other. Getting married is one thing, staying married is another. It takes work, perseverance, you have to be selfless, and you have to be tolerant. These are things they tell you from the beginning – you don’t realize how profound they are until you are in midstream and looking left and right for a lifebuoy to keep you afloat. But it is between both of you. Once you start to involve other people in your matter, then you might as well not be married anymore. It is just the grace of God, you just take things easy, and nobody is perfect. You being able to hide each other’s imperfections is also what marriage is. You just have to be there for each other, so it is up to you really.

On if he has a mistress

Not at all.

On how he handles his female fans

They (female fans) are always there, you keep practicing that fine line that you don’t see. You keep them as friends and make sure they stay as friends. When you start to give people a different role, then things can happen. Again, it is just the grace of God, just being able to stay focused and true to myself.

On what he would tell contemporaries who are considering marriage

Your marriage is your marriage. You are not getting married because of what the society thinks, or what your best friends think, you are not getting married because of what your girlfriends or your boyfriends think, or for your group or social clubs, or for your team of turn up guys. You are not getting married because of anybody. It is for you. It is between you and God, try to keep it that way. Don’t put your family situation out there, don’t put too many personal experiences out there. Even away from marriage, it is not everywhere you go to that you take a selfie to show what you just bought or are doing, you need to understand the repercussions of many things. It is just like when you speak, you think about what you say before you say it, because it can be taken out of context. It could still be taken out of context regardless of how careful you are, or how well thought out your speech is. So it is very important to keep your private life private and pray for the grace to be able to share the right things. Ultimately, you have to realize that marriage is work in progress. There is no perfect marriage; no perfect solution or formula that gives you all the answers.